Reverse pulse cleaning systems are traditionally used to clean bag type filter elements located in bag houses or the like. In one application, filter bags are suspended from a support plate and are held in an open position by a wire cage or the like. Air to be cleaned is passed up through the filter bags from below the plate through the filter bags and through apertures in the plate located at the mouth of the bags. When in use the filter bags become clogged a reverse pulse of air is discharged into the bag through the mouth in the plate. That pulse serves to provide an energy wave, which flexes the filter bag, resulting in particulate material which has adhered to the bag during the filtering process being dislodged from the bag and falling to a hopper in the bottom of the bag house.
Prior art systems have tended to use high-pressure low volume reverse pulses of air to clean the filter bags. However, high-pressure systems tend to be costly to operate and maintain, and also tend to be noisy in operation.